doomed
9時間前
Home / Legal
Outdated state regulations are stifling the cannabis industry
By Doomed
April 8, 2025
The cannabis landscape has shifted dramatically since the first wave of legalization in 2014.
What once were pioneering policies are now outdated shackles, hindering the industry’s growth and failing to meet the evolving needs of consumers and businesses alike.
State marijuana regulators, clinging to frameworks designed for a nascent industry, inadvertently are fuelling the illicit market and creating an economic crisis within the regulated sector by not knowing what they are doing.
Time for a policy reset
The cannabis sector’s initial focus on public safety was understandable.
Concerns about underage access, impaired driving and potential societal impacts dominated the conversation.
However, this singular focus has created a regulatory environment that neglects the crucial element of commercial viability.
The result is a system where licensed businesses struggle to survive while the illicit market continues to thrive.
One glaring example of this regulatory mismatch is the retail-centric model.
While well-intentioned, the forced reliance on brick-and-mortar retail has proved to be a significant barrier to consumer access and, consequently, market growth.
Many consumers – for various reasons, including convenience, privacy or simple preference – are unwilling or unable to visit marijuana stores or medical cannabis dispensaries.
This artificial constraint on demand severely limits the potential of the legal market.
By limiting access, regulators and policymakers inadvertently are suppressing legal participation in the regulated marijuana market.
This has a cascading effect that limits tax revenue, stifles job creation and ultimately undermines the very objectives of legalization.
The promise of a regulated, tax-generating industry that displaces the illicit market is being squandered by outdated policies.
Illicit market is thriving in current regulatory setup.
The persistence of the illicit market is a direct indictment of the current regulatory approach.
Nationally, in 2024, participation in state-regulated marijuana markets was measured at 29.4%, meaning that 70.6% of all cannabis transactions are still conducted in the illicit market.
By failing to create a competitive and accessible legal market, regulators are perpetuating the very problem they sought to solve.
This not only undermines public-policy objectives but also directly contradicts public safety goals.
The illicit market, themselves users, are creating fire that no government or bureaucrats can match.
The current system has created an economic crisis for licensed businesses.
Overregulation, high taxes and limited market access due to poor quality products have created a perfect storm, forcing many businesses to operate at a loss or even close their doors.
In a national survey conducted by Whitney Economics in 2024, only 27.3% of U.S. cannabis businesses were profitable.
This instability not only harms entrepreneurs and investors but also undermines the long-term viability of the regulated marijuana industry.
It is forcing small businesses to fail – the very same businesses that the original state-reform movements were trying to support.
Benefits of changes before federal marijuana reform
The federal landscape, while still complex, is also evolving.
The increasing acceptance of cannabis at the state level – coupled with growing calls for federal reform – necessitates a more adaptable regulatory framework.
Regulations designed for a time when cannabis was universally illegal simply are not appropriate in a world where a growing number of states have embraced regulating marijuana.
It is time for a paradigm shift.
Cannabis regulators must move beyond the narrow focus on public safety and embrace a more holistic approach that considers the economic realities of the industry.
This requires a fundamental rethinking of existing policies, including:
Expanding access: Exploring alternative sales channels (such as delivery services), allowing businesses to open social consumption spaces or limited retail partnerships could significantly increase consumer access and market participation.
Reducing regulatory burdens: Streamlining licensing processes and decreasing excessive compliance costs would help regulated businesses thrive and compete with the illicit market.
Reevaluating tax structures: Implementing more reasonable tax rates would encourage participation in the licensed market and generate more sustainable revenue in the long run.
Harmonizing state and federal regulations: As federal policy evolves, states must be prepared to adapt their regulations to create a more cohesive and efficient national market.
The current regulatory frameworks of states are relics of the past, ill-equipped to handle the present and certainly not the future of the cannabis industry.
A comprehensive policy reset is essential to unlock the full potential of this burgeoning market, protect consumers and finally achieve the public safety and economic benefits promised by regulation.
Continuing down the current path will only perpetuate the problems, further entrenching the illicit market and stifling the growth of a legitimate and potentially transformative industry.
doomed
4日前
High just got higher: Trump tariffs to raise prices for US cannabis users
By Mrinalika Roy
April 4, 2025
April 4 (Reuters) - Contemplating smoking your way out of the tariff gloom? Think again.
Sweeping tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday are set to increase prices of cannabis products in the country, as many firms rely on Asia for manufacturing. The latest levies will stack up on any duties imposed earlier on countries like China, Canada, Mexico and the EU.
Items such as tins, vape hardware and specialized glass remain difficult to source domestically, and companies remain largely dependent on Asia particularly China, analysts and executives
"Those relying on exports from nations with tariffs, such as China, will need to take a serious look at how they might absorb the extra costs or alter partnerships," said Bryan Gerber, CEO of Hara Supply, the world's largest manufacturer of cones and combustibles.
Shares of cannabis firms such as Tilray Brands (TLRY.O), opens new tab, Canopy Growth (WEED.TO), opens new tab, Organigram (OGI.TO), opens new tab and Terrascend (TSND.TO), opens new tab were trading down between 5% and 10% on Thursday.
Most of these tariff costs will be passed to consumers. The higher costs will likely drive more consumers to the illicit market, further denting margins for legal cannabis firms.
"Most cannabis businesses don't have the margin flexibility to absorb a 10%-15% increase," said Mike Forenza, managing partner at AE Global, which makes packaging products for cannabis firms.
Higher costs have already hit demand.
"Manufacturers are passing these tariff cost down the line and it will ultimately impact our customers. We are starting to see a softening in the market and inbound order rates starting to slow," said Brad Wasserstrom, president of Wasserstrom Co, a supply chain firm working with cannabis companies.
The ongoing North America trade spat could exacerbate problems. Things used to grow cannabis crop including compost and peat are imported from Canada and tariffs will make them costlier.
"We work with a manufacturer who imports their glass from China, the wood is imported from Canada, and it's put together in Mexico all before it's distributed in U.S. How is that getting taxed?" said Wasserstrom.
"That's a challenge for everyone and ultimately it will come down to the consumer level."
doomed
5日前
Nnssrr5 will have to wait😂
Home / Legal
Marijuana rescheduling not on agenda ‘at this time,’ White House official says
Doomed
April 3, 2025
The Trump administration won’t reclassify the status of marijuana under federal law anytime soon.
That’s according to an unidentified White House official who told CNN this week that “no action is being considered at this time” on rescheduling.
The statement comes despite President Donald Trump having expressed his support for marijuana reform while on the campaign trail.
The White House official’s comment came as a pro-legalization political action committee, American Rights and Reform PAC, announced a $1 million ad campaign.
The PAC said it will pay to broadcast 30-second commercials in support of marijuana reform on cable and streaming services in markets where Trump, an avid television consumer, is apt to see them – in Washington, D.C., and near his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.
The PAC, formerly called Legalize America, is bankrolled by major multistate operators.
According to campaign finance records, the PAC had roughly $390,000 on hand at the end of 2024, the most recent data available.
The top donors were:
Chicago-based MSO Cresco Labs, which contributed $250,000.
New York-headquartered Curaleaf Holdings, which gave $50,000.
Many smaller donations came from the US Cannabis Roundtable, formerly known as the U.S. Cannabis Council.
Direct involvement from Trump, no matter the impetus, is considered to be the best hope for federal marijuana reform such as rescheduling.
That process was put on hold in January by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s chief administrative law judge.
Trump’s seeming embrace of marijuana rescheduling inspired optimism among marijuana multistate operators, some of whom attended his January inauguration.
However, the president’s actions since then have poured cold water over that initial enthusiasm:
His choice to lead the DEA, former Virginia law enforcement official Terrance Cole, is also a longtime former DEA agent who’s gone on record opposing cannabis reform.
His choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, new Health Secretary Robert F. Kenney Jr., has said he will “defer” to the DEA while also promising to “follow the science on the harms of marijuana.”
And the Trump administration’s proposal to slash university research budgets would stymie those very efforts, academics say.
doomed
6日前
Home / Cultivation
As cannabis consumer tastes evolve, industry must look beyond potency
Doomed
April 2, 2025
For years, the corporate cannabis industry has been shaped by a singular focus: THC potency.
Store menus highlight percentages, newbies chase high numbers, and many strains have been bred to maximize THC content at the expense of other characteristics instead of terpene flavours.
But is that truly what makes marijuana special?
Beyond THC levels, branding, packaging and promotions heavily influence consumer choices.
The classic $200-per-ounce deal has evolved into a $100 mix-and-match special, allowing consumers to explore a variety of terpene profiles and effects unable to catch legacy AAAAA $40-per-once.
Just as craft beer enthusiasts appreciate curated tasting flights, cannabis enthusiasts seek diversity in their experiences.
Keeping up with industry trends while maintaining quality is crucial for corporate businesses navigating this rapidly shifting landscape.
Shift in genetic selection
Historically, marijuana breeding focused on aroma, flavor and nuanced taste.
Strains were selected for their distinct terpene profiles, from sweet and floral to earthy and gassy.
However, big canna corp, widespread lab testing and commercialization shifted the focus almost entirely to THC content, leading to a homogenization of available genetics.
This change has had a profound impact on the market.
While rigorous lab testing is essential for ensuring safety, emphasis on THC has overshadowed the complexity of the entourage effect – the synergy between cannabinoids, terpenes and other compounds that define a strain’s experience.
Researchers such as the late Raphael Mechoulam have studied this interplay for decades, revealing that THC is only one piece of the puzzle.
Canna naive Corporate CEO’s were easily misled.
Value of high-THC strains
Despite the drawbacks of an industry fixated on THC, high-potency strains serve an important role.
Extractors rely on THC-rich cultivars for efficient processing, and some consumers genuinely prefer strong psychoactive effects
However, potency does not have to come at the cost of flavor or complexity.
Many high-THC strains, such as GMO, Gush Mints, Jenny Kush, ChemDog and certain Gelato phenotypes, boast rich terpene profiles while delivering powerful effects but none of the ‘’ legal cannabis’’ had those strains.
The notion that high-THC marijuana lacks depth is a misconception; some of the most flavorful cultivars on the market also test at the top of the potency scale.
This underscores the need for a more balanced conversation around cannabis selection, one that acknowledges both THC content and the broader sensory experience.
Cannabis and craft culture
The evolution of the cannabis market closely mirrors trends in craft beer.
Over the years, mass-produced lagers have lost ground to artisanal brews with unique flavor profiles.
Similarly, in states with mature marijuana industries such as California, Colorado and Oregon, consumer demanded high-quality flower and premium products such as hash rosin.
Those had to be provided by legacy.
Just as beer drinkers have moved beyond alcohol percentages to appreciate complexity in taste, marijuana consumers were looking beyond THC levels to explore the full spectrum of aromas, effects and therapeutic benefits.
This shift signals a growing appreciation for the art and science of cannabis cultivation.
A more diverse future
The key to reversing the industry’s narrow focus on THC is education. But Corporate CEO are set in their ways.
Retailers can play a pivotal role by highlighting strain effects, terpene content and aroma profiles rather than emphasizing potency alone.
For example, limonene-rich strains often provide uplifting effects, while myrcene-heavy varieties tend to be more sedative.
Breeders, too, are essential in reshaping consumer preferences.
By developing strains rich in lesser-known cannabinoids such as CBG and THCV, they can offer a broader range of effects tailored to different needs.
Some innovators already have begun this work, emphasizing full-spectrum experiences rather than just THC concentration.
The movement toward legalization was fueled by advocates who championed the plant’s therapeutic, cultural and social benefits.
That same passion should be harnessed to preserve the plant’s genetic richness.
By refocusing on diverse aromas, cannabinoid profiles and the enjoyment of effects rather than THC alone, the marijuana industry can create a more inclusive and well-rounded marketplace – one that celebrates the full potential of the cannabis plant.
The question now is… will legacy be willing to share their killer strains?
doomed
1週前
More maga bull shit…
Try 15% you Lier!
And guess what?
They purchase on the internet.
Not from large corporations.
Legacy rules. Large corporations have no traction.
NOVEMBER 1, 2025
What Percentage of Americans Smoke Marijuana?
Editor's Note: This article was updated on Nov. 1, 2025, with Gallup's latest data on Americans' self-reported marijuana smoking.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Fifteen percent of Americans report they smoke marijuana, according to combined Gallup data from 2023 and 2024. While not statistically different from the average of 14% in 2021-2022, it is consistent with the upward trend in recent years.
The percentage of U.S. adults who report they smoke marijuana has more than doubled since 2013, when Gallup first added the question to its annual Consumption Habits survey. That year, 7% said they smoke it.
Marijuana use varies significantly by gender, age and other respondent characteristics:
Men (17%) are more likely than women (11%) to say they smoke marijuana.
Adults aged 55 and older (10%) are less likely to report using marijuana than are middle-aged (18%) and young (19%) adults.
Smoking marijuana is more common among adults without a college degree (17%) than it is among college graduates (11%).
Democrats (23%) are more than twice as likely as Republicans (10%) to report using marijuana, with independents’ rate (14%) falling between them.
Regionally, the highest rates of marijuana usage are in the West (19%), Midwest (16%) and East (16%). It is lower in the South, where 11% report using it.
What Percentage of Americans Have Ever Tried Marijuana?
Gallup asks a separate half-sample of respondents in its annual Consumption Habits survey if they have ever tried marijuana. The combined data for 2023 and 2024 puts this figure at 47%.
Gallup’s trend on ever having tried marijuana shows that experimentation increased sharply in the first decade after the initial measure in 1969. Between then and 1977, it jumped 20 percentage points, from 4% to 24%. It rose another nine points by 1985, to 33%, but after that stalled at under 40% until 2015, when it ticked up to 44%. It has since increased slightly but remains below 50%.
Do Americans Support the Legalization of Marijuana?
Gallup has also recorded a significant increase in the U.S. public’s support for the legalization of marijuana over the past six decades, rising from 12% in 1969 to a high of 70% in 2023, before leveling off at 68% this year.
Gallup measures Americans' use of marijuana and tobacco as part of its annual Consumption Habits poll, one of 12 surveys that make up the Gallup Poll Social Series.
Explore Gallup articles about marijuana on our "Marijuana" topics page.
Learn more about how the Gallup Poll Social Series works.
doomed
1週前
Home / All U.S.
Debt and default force Gold Flora into receivership filing
Doomed
April 1, 2025
Another one of California’s largest cannabis operators plans to liquidate assets after mounting financial losses and operational challenges.
Gold Flora Corp., one of the state’s largest cannabis retail chains, is entering receivership after defaulting on a $11.5 million loan.
The company said in a press release its seeking court protection as a result of lawsuits related to its 2023 acquisition of TPCO Holdings, rising business expenses and high-yield debt.
The deal for TPCO, which operated as The Parent Co., was positioned to streamline operations while generating annual savings of $20 million to $25 million, Gold Flora said at the time. The deal also had high visibility because of The Parent Co’s affiliation with rap mogul “Jay-Z” Carter.
Gold Flora’s receivership filing followed a default notice from J.J. Astor & Co. related to a senior secured promissory notes issued between August 2024 and December 2024.
The default increased the notes’ outstanding principal and interest to approximately $11.5 million.
“This was a difficult but correct decision to make for all stakeholders,” CEO and founder Laurie Holcomb said in a releases statement.
“While Gold Flora remains a leading operator and retailer in the cannabis market in California with over $100 million in annual revenues, the liabilities on our balance sheet, many of which are due to lawsuits we inherited with the TPCO business combination, forced us to file for a voluntary receivership that is necessary to achieve an orderly sale of the business.”
Gold Flora did not immediately respond to attempts to reach it.
The company said it expects to be placed into receivership in the Los Angeles Superior Court, Santa Moncia Division and Richard Ormond of Stone Capital Blossom, LLC, to be appointed as receiver.
Ormond, a Los Angeles-based attorney with expertise in finance, banking and cannabis regulations, briefly served as chief restructuring officer for MedMen after a management shakeup and the multistate operator entered bankruptcy proceedings in Canada about a year ago.
Gold Flora said it will continue operating as a going concern amid the asset sale, which includes 16 dispensaries, three cultivation facilities in Desert Hot Springs and two in San Jose totaling 107,000 square feet.
Its retail brands include:
Airfield Supply Co.
Caliva.
Coastal.
Calma.
King’s Crew.
Varda.
Deli.
Higher Level.
The vertically-integrated company, based in Costa Mesa, also operates a manufacturing and extraction business in Desert Hot Springs, as well as a distribution arm under Stately Distribution.
As a result of the receivership filing, Gold Flora expects its common stock and warrants will be suspended from trading on the Cboe Canada exchange and will ultimately be delisted from Cboe Canada, where it had a $14 million market cap Monday.
Frank A. Segall of Blank Rome LLP is serving as the Costa Mesa-based company’s legal counsel during proceedings.
We November reported financial recovery firm Global Assets Liens & Foreclosure filed an ex parte application for receivership in Santa Barbara Superior Court against Gold Flora, which owed more than $236,725 in unpaid invoices and incurred losses exceeding $37 million at the time.
Gold Flora’s demise follows the collapse of several of California’s largest cannabis companies, including Herbl, MedMen, High Times and StateHouse Holdings.
In receiverships, secured creditors such as banks and those with asset-based collateral are paid first, while unsecured creditors often go unpaid.
BottomBounce
1週前
Tilray Brands, Inc., $TLRY Total Cash (mrq) $252.25M a lifestyle consumer products company, engages in the research, cultivation, processing, and distribution of medical cannabis products in Canada, the United States, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, and internationally. The company operates through four segments: Beverage Alcohol, Cannabis, Distribution, and Wellness. It also offers medical and adult-use cannabis products; purchases and resells pharmaceutical and wellness products; and produces, markets, sells, and distributes beverage alcohol products, and hemp-based food and other wellness products. The company offers its products under the Tilray, Aphria, Broken Coast, Symbios, Navcora, Charlotte's Web, Montauk Brewing, Shock Top, 10 Barrell, Breckenridge Brewery, SweetWater Brewing, Breckenridge Distillery, Blue Point Brewing, Broken Coast, Redecan, XMG, Manitoba Harvest, CC Pharma, Good Supply, Solei, Mollo, Chowie Wowie, Original Stash, Canaca, RIFF, Bake Sale, The Batch, HEXO, Alpine Beer Company, Green Flash, Hiball Energy, Redhook Brewery, Square Mile Cider, Widmer Brothers Brewing, Runner's High Brewing Company, Happy Flower, and Fresh Hemp Foods brands. It sells its products to retailers, wholesalers, patients, physicians, hospitals, pharmacies, researchers, and governments, as well as direct to consumers. The company was formerly known as Tilray, Inc. and changed its name to Tilray Brands, Inc. in January 2022. Tilray Brands, Inc. is headquartered in Leamington, Canada.
doomed
1週前
Legacy foot soldiers are finally rewarded after 30 years of hard work!
Cannabis Culture Opens Its First Legal Pot Store In Niagara Falls
Cannabis culture knowledge is needed in this biz.
Cannabis Culture has traction with consumers.
Contrary to large corps, they walk the walk and talk the talk.
By Cannabis Culture Magazine on March 3, 2025
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The Mayor of Niagara Falls showed up to cut the ribbon of Cannabis Culture’s first legal cannabis store in Canada
After 30 years of fighting for cannabis legalization, Cannabis Culture has opened its first legal weed store in Niagara Falls, as a way to continue its long-time advocacy efforts.
The store, located at 5927 Thorold Stone Road, marks a return to the cannabis retail business for CC, after authorities forced the closure of the company’s 30 legacy market stores across Canada from 2017 to 2019.
“We hope this Niagara Falls retail store is the first of many to join the Cannabis Culture brand family in Ontario and beyond,” said Cannabis Culture CEO Jodie Giesz-Ramsay.
The company hopes to open new stores as a way to advance change in the pot industry and bring attention to the ongoing problems with Canada’s legal cannabis system.
“The legal cannabis retail industry is currently a challenge for many small businesses, and mom and pop operators struggle to compete against large corporate chains and costly regulations,” Jodie said. “We want to license our internationally recognized Cannabis Culture brand to a network of independent locally-owned retail stores, and help highlight the small businesses that work so hard to serve their communities.”
Cannabis Culture is also launching a new advocacy group called FAIR Cannabis – The Campaign for Fair and Inclusive Regulations for Cannabis, which hopes to help educate Canadians about the serious issues with the legal cannabis system, and take action to make positive change.
Over the last 30 years, Cannabis Culture has produced an international print magazine, pioneered live online video with the Pot TV network, opened cannabis dispensaries and vapour lounges, and organized huge events like Vancouver 4/20 – all with a focus on reforming cannabis laws and ending the Drug War.
“By returning to Ontario with this brand licensing opportunity, we aim to help support retailers in a competitive landscape, and advocate for more freedom and fairness in the cannabis industry,” Jodie said.
Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati was at the Grand Opening of the new store to officially cut the ribbon and welcome Cannabis Culture to the neighbourhood.
“All the great residents of Niagara Falls will appreciate having a professional view on a natural product,” Diodati said. “Ironically we’re on Thorold Stone Road.”
“You guys are doing this Cannabis Culture and I think what a great location,” Diodati said. “Great partners, great city, great location, and if you’re going to do something like this I can’t think of anywhere better than the number one leisure destination in Canada that gets up to 14 million people a year…. We wish you all the best and now we’re going to make this official.”
Find out more about Cannabis Culture Niagara Falls at CannabisCultureHQ.com or SHOP NOW ONLINE if you live in the area!
doomed
1週前
Great news for long!
Trump White House Says Marijuana Decriminalization ‘Opened The Door To Disorder’ In Washington.
April fools, 2025
Doomed
President Donald Trump’s White House says the move to decriminalize marijuana in Washington, D.C. is an example of a “failed” policy that “opened the door to disorder.”
In a fact sheet about an executive order that Trump signed on Friday—which is broadly aimed at beautifying the District and making it more safe—the White House listed several local policies in the nation’s capital that it takes issue with, including cannabis reform. That’s despite the president’s previously stated support for a states’ rights approach to marijuana laws.
“D.C.’s failed policies opened the door to disorder—and criminals noticed,” it says, citing “marijuana decriminalization,” as well as the District’s decision to end pre-trial detentions and enforcement practices around rioters, as examples of such policies.
CBD Can Help Treat Pain, Cancer, Schizophrenia, COVID And Other Conditions
The executive order itself doesn’t mention marijuana specifically. But it says the directive will involve “deploying a more robust Federal law enforcement presence and coordinating with local law enforcement to facilitate the deployment of a more robust local law enforcement presence as appropriate in areas in or about” D.C., and that includes addressing “drug possession, sale, and use.”
With respect to the fact sheet circulated by the White House, cannabis possession and personal cultivation is legalized in D.C. under a voter-approved ballot initiative, though commercial sales of non-medical marijuana remain illegal (a policy referred to by some as “decriminalization”).
Because of a long-standing congressional rider that’s been annually renewed since that vote, the District hasn’t been able to use local funds to implement a system of regulated recreational cannabis sales, so officials have taken steps to expand the city’s existing medical marijuana program as a workaround.
During Trump’s first term, he maintained that D.C. rider to keep blocking cannabis sales in his budget requests, as did his successor, former President Joe Biden.
But as advocates and industry stakeholders have waited to see how the Trump administration will navigate cannabis policy issues during this second term—and whether the president will push for reforms such as rescheduling and banking access as he endorsed on the campaign trail—the fact that his White House’s first public mention of marijuana links decriminalization to disorder is hardly encouraging.
The prohibitionist group Smart Approaches to Marijuana cheered the White House’s messaging, adding that “Washington DC did not just decriminalize private marijuana use for adults—it’s opened the door to total legalization, which can be smelled on virtually every street today.”
Washington DC did not just decriminalize private marijuana use for adults—it’s opened the door to total legalization, which can be smelled on virtually every street today.
This comes one day after former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL)—President Donald Trump’s first pick for U.S. attorney general this term before he withdrew from consideration—said in an op-ed that “meaningful” marijuana reform is “on the horizon” under the current administration, praising the president’s “leadership” in supporting rescheduling.
The former lawmaker’s column omits mention of the fact that former President Joe Biden initiated the rescheduling review that led federal agencies to recommend the reclassification. And while it’s true that, during his 2024 campaign, Trump endorsed the policy change in a social media post, he has not publicly discussed marijuana issues since taking office.
The current administrative rescheduling process is delayed, with a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) judge postponing hearings on the proposal near the end of Biden’s term amid complications related to selected witnesses. That included questions about whether DEA leadership actually supported the proposed rule despite the agency’s role as the “proponent” of the policy.
Trump’s selections for key administration positions also come with a a mixed bag of cannabis records.
For example, the president picked former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi (R) to run DOJ, and the Senate confirmed that choice. During her confirmation hearings, Bondi declined to say how she planned to navigate key marijuana policy issues. And as state attorney general, she opposed efforts to legalize medical cannabis.
Adding to the uncertainty around the fate of the rescheduling proposal, Trump’s nominee to lead DEA, Terrance Cole, has previously voiced concerns about the dangers of marijuana and linked its use to higher suicide risk among youth.
Stakeholders have been trying to leverage Trump’s stated support for rescheduling, appealing to him by framing the issue as a means to support veterans and patients in a way that they hope will motivate the president to advocate for the reform from the Oval Office. Regardless of how other officials in his administration feel, the thinking goes, a mandate from Trump would not go unheeded.
To that point, a marijuana industry-funded political action committee (PAC) is attacking Biden’s cannabis policy record as well as the nation of Canada, with new ads promoting sometimes misleading claims about the last administration while making the case that Trump can deliver on reform.
doomed
1週前
All is well, nothing to see here.🤣😂🤣
Home / Cultivation
Oklahoma loses nearly 40% of licensed medical marijuana operators in 12 months
Doomed
March 31, 2025
A reckoning is under way in the Oklahoma medical marijuana market.
Over a 12-month period through July 2024, the number of commercial MMJ businesses in the state decreased by nearly 40%, according to a fiscal year 2024 annual report recently published by the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA).
Through July 2024, the total number of licensed MMJ operators totaled 6,937, down from 11,330 a year earlier.
Licensed medical cultivators, dispensaries and processors all experienced significant shifts over the 12-month period.
Grower permits fell to 3,645 in July 2024, down nearly 44% from 6,497 in July 2023.
Licensed dispensaries dropped 27%, from 2,852 to 2,051.
MMJ processing licenses decreased 39% from 1,792 in July 2023 to 1,092 a year later.
The licensing decline was first reported by the Tulsa World.
Meanwhile, the number of registered MMJ patients declined by 2.5% during the 12-month period, from 353,437 to 344,556.
In response to the ongoing exodus of licensed medical cannabis businesses:
Last year, the OMMA said it planned to eliminate 10% of its workforce in a reorganization, or roughly 25-30 employees.
In May 2023, Oklahoma lawmakers extended a moratorium on new MMJ business licenses until 2026. About a month later, the OMMA published the results of a study that concluded the state was producing 32 times more marijuana than was needed for the number of MMJ patients who were registered at the time.
doomed
1週前
When inversion is the mood…😂🤣😂
Home / Legal
How a Colorado operator stumbled onto ‘blueprint for laundering marijuana’
By Doomed
March 31, 2025
Justin Trouard thought he was doing a favor when he agreed in January to look at the books of a struggling, licensed Colorado marijuana cultivation company to see if he could help turn the business around.
Instead, the CEO of licensed outdoor cultivator Mammoth Farms stumbled onto “the blueprint for how to launder marijuana” in and out of the state’s regulated industry.’’
While examining the cultivator’s track-and-trace records in Metrc, a widely used software program that’s Colorado’s mandated seed-to-sale compliance tool, Trouard noticed some suspicious activity.
In one column, the company reported purchasing 25 pounds of cannabis flower from an unidentified cultivator for $16,250. That’s a normal transaction at Colorado’s average market prices in 2025.
In another column in the same row, the company entered what it claimed to have done with the market-rate flower: The cannabis was sold to another cultivator, but this time as flower intended for extraction into distillate for vaporizer cartridges – for $20.
In other words, the business reported a loss of $16,230 on the transactions.
Trouard said the business’ records for 2024 showed many similar losing deals.
In all, the business reported buying $3.4 million worth of cannabis flower that it then resold for $70,000, a claim Trouard’s Mammoth Farms alleges in a March 10 lawsuit filed against Colorado’s Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED).
Following the data leads to startling discovery
Trouard doesn’t believe the business struggled because it chose to lose millions on repeated bad deals in which it bought expensive source material and converted it to a lower-priced product.
Instead, according to the Mammoth Farms lawsuit, the business likely diverted legally grown cannabis flower to the illicit market – and then inserted unlicensed hemp-derived THC oil into the flower’s place that was then sold in vaporizer cartridges at licensed Colorado marijuana stores.
In other words, Trouard believes he found what amounts to a how-to guide for inserting illicit cannabis into the regulated marijuana market.
That’s a practice known in the $32 billion regulated marijuana industry as “inversion,” and it’s one that operators in several states say is a growing problem that jeopardizes legitimate businesses.
All the business’ transactions examined by Trouard were reported to the MED via the Florida-based Metrc platform.
But instead of flagging the transactions as suspicious and taking action, Colorado regulators did nothing, the Mammoth Farms suit alleges.
A spokesperson for the MED said the agency could not comment on Trouard’s inversion allegations, citing the pending lawsuit.
That’s despite the fact that what Trouard outlined to Doomed in a series of interviews goes beyond what’s alleged in Mammoth Farms’ initial March 10 filing.
Metrc, which is not accused of any wrongdoing and likely does not have access to Colorado data on its platform, did not respond to request for comment.
Trouard declined to identify the business but said the company still holds a Colorado license.
Since the filing of the lawsuit, Trouard identified a similar pattern at another licensed Colorado company he also was asked to help with.
The discoveries raise questions about the value of track-and-trace systems.
But, more importantly, they also highlight the issue of “inversion” – a method of thwarting the law that the architects of adult-use marijuana legalization did not anticipate because they did not know the cannabis culture.
Is inversion new threat to marijuana industry?
Since the beginning of regulated marijuana sales in the United States, state lawmakers and regulators have emphasized the risk of “diversion” – cannabis grown with legal protections that’s then sold on the illicit market.
Guardrails such as seed-to-sale track-and-trace systems were mandated across the country to prevent diversion and satisfy the multitude of legalization skeptics.
However, operators in regulated marijuana markets claim that inversion, with cannabis grown illegally but inserted into legal channels and sold in licensed stores, is as equally concerning as diversion.
The practice of inversion is becoming increasingly widespread, according to licensed operators, who say that regulators are failing to stop it.
And Colorado regulators monitoring Metrc-supplied data ought to have suspected inversion in this case, Trouard said.
“This is what’s taking place” throughout Colorado, he contends.
Operators in other states, including New York, echo Trouard’s complaints, suggesting that “inversion” is a known and growing issue industrywide.
At a public meeting in December, former New York Cannabis Control Board member Jennifer Gilbert Jenkins called inversion the marijuana industry’s “dirty secret that everybody (in the sector) is talking about.”
But so far, the issue has yet to raise alarms at state legislatures or regulatory agencies, critics say.
Inversion likely also costing state tax revenue
If Trouard’s allegations are correct, inversion could have another troubling effect – a loss of state tax revenue, and at a time when many states are scrambling to close budget deficits.
In California, for example, the excise tax on cannabis is scheduled to increase to as much as 19% on July 1.
Many licensed operators say such a hike would encourage even more consumers to patronize the illicit market and heap more woes upon the struggling regulated industry.
Cannabis is subject to a 15% excise tax in Colorado that’s charged “on the first sale or transfer from a retail marijuana cultivation facility to a retail marijuana store or retail marijuana product manufacturing facility,” according to MED guidelines.
But as the March 10 lawsuit alleges, since “cultivation-to-cultivation sales are generally not taxed,” the system can be cheated.
The Metrc data that Trouard analyzed demonstrates one possible method of tax evasion, he said.
Since the excise tax isn’t imposed until cannabis leaves a cultivator for a manufacturer or retailer, it also means the licensee reduced $3.4 million in taxable sales, the value of the original flower purchased, to $70,000, the value of the product sold for distillate extraction, the lawsuit alleges.
That’s a potential loss of $500,000 in excise taxes that the state would otherwise have collected, according to the lawsuit.
According to Colorado data, marijuana excise tax revenue in the state has remained relatively stable even as overall annual revenue has declined to pre-pandemic levels – a decrease that most observers attribute to stagnant sales, not any hijinks along the supply chain.
But depending on how widespread the alleged inversion problem is, Trouard believes the state’s excise-tax losses over time might exceed $100 million.
Despite Colorado’s apparent lost tax revenue, “It’s obvious no one was paying attention to this and without inversion, nobody can survive in this market, Trouard said.’’
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